Maybe Her Life Will Be Swell
by markaleen
Summary: Grace's POV starting with the arrival of the 'Mudge's' and the events following (including what the future may hold for her and Oliver).
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Annie, just sharing a fanfiction.**

**This is my first Annie story, so it's more me trying to get into the feel of writing for these characters. I was debating whether or not to post but I liked how it turned out. The story is told in Grace's POV, starting with Annie finding her 'parents' and the events following (with mentions of some of the earlier events). I also included the unused part of the Maybe reprise they show in the Lights, Camera, Annie! special. Since they spoke over most of it, I wasn't able to catch a couple of the words or the exact order the lines belong, so I put them as I saw fit. I feel like towards the end of the film Grace and Annie's bond was somewhat abandoned in order to focus on Annie and Oliver's relationship. So my wanting to fix that aspect was what inspired this story.**

**One more thing before I stop babbling, this was originally intended to be a oneshot, but as I was editing I felt chapters would work better. Just wanted to say that in case some very short chapters appear.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**UPDATE: 8/18/2014 - I noticed a lot of typos and errors in this story so I went back and fixed/reuploaded them. The plot is still the same, just some sentences are restructured. Also, I have decided to continue the story, though it may take some time to write, edit, upload, etc. but I will get it done as quickly as possible :) I'm planning on just adding the new chapters to this story, so when it's updated I will say so in the story description.**

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"I'll go pack…"

"Want me to help, baby?"

"No thanks… Mom."

My heart completely fell to the floor when I heard Annie call this woman Shirley, 'mom'. Well, to be honest, it'd already sunk the moment she pulled out the other half of Annie's locket… or was it when she ran and hugged Annie… Whenever it was doesn't really matter; the point is that this little girl I'd fallen in love with, though she'd only been in my life a short time—was leaving. So much had changed because of her. The big mansion didn't seem so empty anymore. Sure, it had always been filled by the staff, but it wasn't quite the same. They adored her as well; it's hard not to. Best of all, I finally got to see a softer side to Oliver Warbucks—the side I've always known was there deep down. It took some convincing him to let Annie stay, but once he gave in, I knew he was falling in love with her too. I had a hunch the evening we all went to the movies—and even more specifically, when he and I put her to bed later that night. After I'd kissed Annie goodnight and right before I turned off the light, I saw a look in his eyes I'd never seen before. The look gave me the courage the next morning to ask him if Annie could stay: permanently. Normally, I wouldn't have requested such a thing, but how on Earth was I supposed to send that little girl back to that dingy, horrible orphanage? Especially when that awful Miss Hannigan was in charge... I didn't like the woman when I met her, and once Annie told me more about her and the life she gave them, I despised her. Again, it took some convincing, but I think it was more a matter of getting Oliver to open his heart rather than his home. Plus, I think once he agreed and gave it more thought, he was just as happy as I. Not long after, he fully opened up his heart to her—to everyone. Though he was anxious about asking Annie to stay permanently, he was much calmer than he usually was. Perhaps I should say it was a different sort of jitteriness. Normally, if something was bothering or upsetting him, he'd bellow at the first person to cross his path (something I'd grown accustomed to being his secretary which meant crossing his path quite frequently). This time, he was snappy: nothing near his usual tyrant personality. Snappiness was far easier to bear. I saw this as a fresh start… and maybe it'd be the start of something between him and I... Annie picked up on my feelings for him right away and tried encouraging me to make a move. Also, I think she mentioned something to Oliver because the same day I asked to keep her, he called me Grace for the first time, told me how pretty I was (I have to thank Annie for that one, I took her advice and let my hair down for once… more or less), and on top of that we just couldn't seem to take our eyes off one another. Being in such a daze by the entire situation caused me to blurt out, 'I could just kiss you' when he not only agreed to keep Annie, but said he'd get the papers signed himself. Everything was perfect: Annie was going to be adopted, a future appeared to be starting with Oliver—nothing was going bring me down.

However, something unexpected happened later on that did indeed make my good mood disappear: Annie wanted to find her real parents—something I'd known nothing about. Here I thought she'd told me everything, but she left out that very important factor. Although Oliver was dead set on finding her mother and father, I knew that he was really hurting. I learned over the years that the braver he acts, the more vulnerable he's feeling.

After making several calls, Oliver announced the reward for Annie's parents on the radio and put an ad in the paper. The next day, hundreds of couples showed up at the door in attempts to claim her (well not so much her, but the money). I took one look at the mob that was formed outside the gates and told Oliver that Annie couldn't witness the crowd. There was no need to expose her to such a scene. While they went to visit the president (Oliver's dreaded solution), I remained in New York and interviewed over 800 couples. Despite the exhaustion of it all and the disappointment for Annie that her parents hadn't been among the couples; it was the idea of all those dishonest crooks that turned my stomach the most. Yes, $50,000 is a lot of money, especially during this Depression; but what if someone **had **been able to pose as Annie's parents? What would have happened to her? What would have happened when she found out? Hadn't that poor girl been through enough already?

Nearly in tears after telling Annie I hadn't found her mother and father, I watched her sadly walk away with her head down as I relayed my thoughts to Oliver about my experience with the crowd. The selfish part of me was surprised I hadn't felt any joy in not finding her parents which would leave us free to adopt her. Maybe because I knew Oliver would stop at nothing until we found them. And even if he were a quitter, how could I see that little girl so disappointed? She wanted her **real **parents, and I wasn't going to get in the way of that with my own self-centered emotions. As long as there was a way and a chance to grant Annie's wish, I'd be fighting and searching right along with Oliver.


	2. Chapter 2

Finally, I had the chance to just sit and breathe while Oliver went after Annie. However, the relaxation was short lived much to my dismay. The doorbell rang and I was faced with one more couple: Ralph and Shirley Mudge. Initially, their story didn't seem to differ too much from the other couples' other than knowing which orphanage they'd left Annie. Although, the woman looked like she **could **be Annie's mother; she had the curly, red hair, but that doesn't mean anything. They probably saw Annie's picture in the paper.

Shortly after Ralph and Shirley's arrival, Oliver and Annie came in to the study to see who had been at the door. Oliver questioned who the people were so I introduced them (trying to hide the exhaustion in my voice). This is when Shirley jumped up and hugged Annie. Afterwards, she pulled out the other half of Annie's locket—a perfect match. For a brief moment I had to grab hold of the desk to keep from falling, but I regained my strength and managed to maintain my composure. I looked to Oliver to see what his reaction to all of this was. "I suppose you heard about the reward on the radio." he interrogated. The couple innocently questioned what he was referring to. Not buying this innocent obliviousness, he added, "In the paper." Again they questioned what he meant. At this point, I chimed in with an interrogation of my own, "How did you know Annie was here?" Ralph proceeded to explain that they'd gone to the orphanage to retrieve Annie and Miss Hannigan directed them here. I will say it was kind of odd that he referred to her as 'kind'. The woman was anything but kind: I literally had to pull Annie away from her when I was there (which quickly had turned into a tug of war)—and not because she was going to miss the child, but because she didn't want 'the brat' to spend 'a week in the lap of luxury'; that she needed to learn her place. Oh, I suppose she was kind enough at first, a bit phony, but kind enough; that was before Annie made her presence noticed.

After Ralph mentioned Miss Hannigan, Shirley showed Oliver Annie's birth certificate. After he read it aloud, Annie, seemingly trying to process all this herself, left to go pack. Oliver watched Annie walk away and then turned to back Ralph and Shirley. He was really hurting; I could see it in his eyes. I've known him for years and hurt was an emotion he seldom expressed. In all honesty, I think it scared him to feel this much; remember, this is a man who hadn't allowed himself any real relationships with anyone for Lord knows how long. Certainly not in the time I've known him. Whatever he was feeling came across as anger, though, I know he **was** also feeling anger. Can you blame him? He finally starts opening his heart and allowing himself to feel something more than wrath, and this is what happens.

As Oliver sat to write the Mudge's check, I slipped out of the room to go help Annie. When I arrived, she was already going through her clothes. I started to ask if she wanted help, but I felt my voice shake and stopped short. Getting enough of what I said, she nodded and continued sorting her belongings. As she did this, I went to the closet and got more clothes. Completely was lost in thought, I kept thinking about how much I was going to miss her, what her life was going to be like, what would become of Oliver and I's relationship or whatever we had going on the past couple days... I had a sad feeling that now Oliver would be even more distant than before. On the way back from another trip to the closet, my thoughts were interrupted when I glanced down at Annie. She asked me if the stores would take everything back. Caught off guard by the inquiry, I questioned for clarification, "All your new clothes?" She nodded in response, to which I then answered while turning back to the clothing I'd just set down, "Well I guess so, Annie, but don't you want to keep them?" I took one of the dresses of its hanger and began to fold it as I turned back once more to face her. "My new folks: they're poor; all these clothes are gonna make them feel bad…" she shrugged then added as her eyes widened and a grin appearing, "Could you maybe take them back to the orphanage and give them to my friends?" Feeling the tears forming in my eyes at such a big hearted request (and remembering why I'd so quickly come to adore the child), I simply replied, "certainly," and then quickly turned away. I listened as she went through a few items and naming what would look good on whom. I could tell she was holding up each article as she named it, but I just glanced quickly with a forced smile. I could only turn halfway and look from the corner of my eye, but I was still endeared. When she stopped talking, I turned back to sorting and folding the outfits. After a moment or two, she started singing on of her tunes.

"'_Betcha my life is gonna be swell—lookin' at them it's easy to tell."_

With this, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. I was going to miss her so much. I turned to look at her, hoping she wouldn't notice my appearance.

"_And maybe I'll forget how nice he was to me; and how I was almost his baby…"_ she stopped short and paused a moment before looking down, seeming to be fighting back tears of her own. I watched a few seconds longer and then quickly dabbed my eyes while journeyed back to the closet. Once more, I needed to keep myself busy—even if that meant helping her pack and leave us. Now was when Annie appeared to notice my emotions. Standing up, she followed me to the closet. "Don't worry," she assured with a smile, "I'm going to like living in New Jersey." I didn't say anything; I just brushed her shoulder with my hand and quickly grabbed the last of the clothes. Again, she started to sing (in the same tune she'd sung before), _"I won't be far away; a small town ain't so bad. You'll take the ferry and visit me and my mom, and my dad."_ This time I knew she saw the tears run down my cheek. I kneeled down at her suitcase and set the dresses neatly inside.

She continued, _"In my own house, how happy I'll be—I'll bake you some cookies, I'll serve you some tea." _She finished by repeating a same line she sang previously,_ "'Betcha My life is gonna be swell, lookin' at them it's easy to tell…"_

I took another break to dry my eyes as she shut the suitcase. Then, wrapping her arms around me she muttered, "But I'm going to miss you too Miss Farrell." Still saying nothing, I returned the hug. After a moment or two, she looked up at me with misty eyes and timidly queried, "Will Mr. Warbucks remember me once I'm gone?" A bit shocked by the question, I answered, "Of course he will, Annie…what makes you ask such a thing?" Pulling away from me, she shrugged, "I don't know. He's just so busy and focused on his work; I guess I'm just afraid after a while he'll get distracted and won't think of me." Unsure of how to really respond, I plainly assured, "I won't let him forget about you, I promise."

A few minutes later, Oliver knocked on the door and said that the Mudg- I mean, Annie's parents were waiting to leave. Grabbing her bag, Annie walked over and stood in front of him. "Thank you for finding my parents, Mr. Warbucks, and for letting me stay with you, and… well for everything." Oliver crouched down and hugged her as tightly as he could after a brief second of silence. I was still amazed by how much he had grown in just a matter of days. If I had told him a week ago that he'd be here hugging a child he'd accuse me of being crazy. Heck, had I told him that a few days ago he'd have those same thoughts. _I just hope he doesn't go back to his olds ways… or worse. _I couldn't help but think yet again. The thought had crept its way in to my head several times since the search for Annie's parents began. _No_, I needed to stop thinking such selfish thoughts at a time like this. I'd deal with Oliver later; Annie would be gone in just a matter of minutes and I refused waste that time thinking about the grief tomorrow would most probably bring.


	3. Chapter 3

They said goodbye once more, and then I brought Annie downstairs while Oliver retired to his study. After a very long (yet at the same time much too short) walk to the door, I very sorrowfully watched as Annie started to leave with her parents. When they were almost out the door, Annie suddenly turned towards me, and then running back, she flung her arms around me. I welcomed the embrace and hugged her as tightly as Oliver had several minutes before. Quietly, she thanked me for recusing her from the orphanage and for being so kind to her right from the start. She then ran back to rejoin her parents. I waited until the door shut behind them and then quickly turned around to run up the stairs. Part of me wanted to run to Oliver—I could have used the comfort and I'm sure he could have as well—but another part of me just wanted to lock myself in my room and finally let out every emotion that I'd been holding in—or had attempted to hold in—all night. After a moment of contemplation, I found myself shifting towards Oliver. While I walked, I wondered what I'd say to him. I hadn't spoken to him about anything other than Annie for the past few days. Okay, maybe there was a business related comment here and there, but other than that, all Annie. Then I started to wonder what I'd say to him not only tonight, but ever, now that Annie was gone. Until she came along, Oliver never saw me as anyone but his secretary; at least, that's what it seemed. Never in the many years I've worked for him had he looked at me the same way he had throughout the past week.

My head was already in a full spin when yet another worrisome thought crossed my mind: what if everything between us had just been because of Annie? **Did **she say something to him? It was no secret that she wanted to see us together. If she was hinting and saying things like 'a man don't look at your brains' to me, she **had **to have said something to Oliver. That would explain why he said 'you might think Miss Farrell does all the work around here…' that afternoon before we all went to movies… What if I'd completely misread everything? Sure, he complimented me that morning in the garden and started calling me by my first name, but could it all have been for Annie's sake? _Oh, I must look like a complete fool!_

I was so lost in my thoughts that before I knew it I was standing outside the study door. It wasn't until I'd started turning the knob that I thought better of intruding. Annie leaving was just as hard for him as it was for me; maybe more. On top of that, this kind of sadness or emotion hadn't hit him for years—at least, he hadn't **let **those things hit him—perhaps he just needed time to himself. This was more than the loss of a factory; this was a precious child—one who had finally taught him how to love. I couldn't even begin to imagine how all of this was affecting him, and quite frankly, I was afraid to find out. I turned to go in the direction of my room, but paused to take a deep breath. I think another part of me was also afraid to figure out where our relationship stood. Now was not the time to figure things out between us; I couldn't lose two people in one night.

Right as I started walking away from the door, I heard Oliver sing the same tune Annie had sung earlier:

"_It'll be fine, nothing to fear—she'll be as happy as she was here. Things have worked out much better than planned. It makes you smile when fate takes a hand. And I know I'll forget how much she meant to me; and how she was almost my baby… maybe." _

I suppose he'd been standing outside the door earlier before he came in and told Annie that it was time to go. I thought again whether or not I should go see him, but once more thought better of it. Besides, the exhaustion from the day had officially caught up with me. I certainly didn't have one more drama or even a simple, friendly conversation left in me. Quickly, I started for my room, but my pace slowed immensely once I was a good distance away from the study.

I'd just reached my room when there was a sudden commotion downstairs. My first reaction, I'll admit, was a frustrated groan. _Can't whatever this is wait until tomorrow? _I wondered with tears forming in my eyes. There was just no way I could go back downstairs. Ignoring the noise, I started to shut my door, but then I realized that the commotion was coming from what sounded like little girls. _Annie… _That was my only thought before running downstairs as fast as my feet could carry me.


	4. Chapter 4

I arrived downstairs to see a group of orphans with Punjab (recognizing a couple of them from when I'd been to the orphanage). "What's going on?" I questioned. All the girls spoke at once with the exception of the littlest one who Punjab held in his arms; come to think of it, I didn't even bother to ask why. The only thing both Punjab and I could make out was that they wanted to speak to Oliver immediately. We (and the Asp had joined us by now) led the girls to the stairs and were greeted by Oliver who had heard the commotion from upstairs. "What now?" he grilled. The girls began to answer, saying that they were friends of Annie's, to which he informed them she was gone and that her parents had come to claim her... But before he'd even finished his sentence, the girls began to fuss, and cried, "Oh no!" It was still hard to make out what they were saying through their anxious chatter. "But they wasn't her parents, mister, they was bad people!" the youngest (who was still being held by Punjab) exclaimed. Straightaway, Oliver had me, Punjab, and the Asp begin calling people to alert them of the kidnapping, making sure every G-man on the East Coast was on the case.

Once the calls had been made, we all headed out to begin the search. Punjab and the Asp took the autocopter while Oliver and I took the Duisenberg. "Who's going to stay here with the children?" he asked soon before we left. I answered, "There's plenty of staff here: they'll be fine. Mrs. Greer and Mrs. Pugh agreed to keep an eye on them." Luckily, there was no further argument. In fact, he seemed sort of relived that I was coming along… but there was no time to think of that right now. We drove all around the city in the direction of New Jersey in hopes of finding Annie. The streets were filled with sirens—emergency vehicles were coming from every direction; it was almost surreal. I could feel the adrenaline pumping throughout my body (thank goodness for it too seeing as it gave me the energy I needed to stay calm and alert). After some time, Punjab informed us through the car phone that he spotted Annie and the Mudges (who turned out to be Miss Hannigan, her brother and his girlfriend) heading to the B&O bridge. Somehow, I still managed to keep my composure when I heard this despite the fact my stomach had done a complete flip. It was all I could do to keep my mind from coming up with every terrifying scenario that could occur at such a location.

After what felt like hours, we arrived to see Annie just as she had climbed to the top of the upright bridge. The vice grip I had on Oliver's hand was the only thing keeping me from collapsing. If the thought of climbing Lord knows how high up wasn't bad enough, she had Miss Hannigan's brother, 'Rooster' following close behind. I wanted to believe that he was going to safely help her down, but I knew that was not the case. Climbing over the edge—hanging on for dear life—she cried for help. I couldn't take my eyes of the scene while her hands were being pried from their grasp over the edge. With her hands now in Rooster's clutch (dangling even more so over the edge) and then being dropped, I couldn't contain the sob that escaped me. Thank God she'd been able to catch hold of another part of the bridge. Oliver pulled me to the side of the tracks so the paramedics and police could get to their proper positions while we continued to watch helplessly.

Seeing Punjab overhead preparing a rescue was a relief. He tied his turban to the skids of the autocopter and started slowly climbing down in order to reach her. _I just hope he gets there in time… _I silently panicked. Feeling my composure slipping even more, I quickly buried my face into Oliver's shoulder before looking back up again. Not once did he take his eyes off Annie, however, he placed his free hand around the front of my arm. I couldn't tell if he was trying to comfort me or if he was trying to keep himself from buckling in fear. I was amazed by how calm he'd remained, but I knew that inside that he was a complete wreck.

From the moment Punjab grabbed Annie until the moment they were firmly on the ground, I don't remember having breathed. Once Annie was safe and sound in Oliver's arms, I flung my own around the both of them and cried before I smothered Punjab in kisses to thank him for rescuing her. After she was checked over by the paramedics, we took Annie home where she belonged. By the looks of things, she would be home for good this time. Miss Hannigan admitted that Annie's parents had died years ago and that was how she gained possession of the other half of the locket. I was absolutely appalled by this woman—more so now than I had been before—but Annie told us that she had tried to stop Rooster from hurting her… Maybe there was some good in her after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is the final chapter. Thank you so much for reading and for your reviews! I can't tell you how much they mean to me.**

**I'm hoping that I'll add more to the story at some point, but as of right now this is all I have written. My focus will be on Camp NaNoWriMo for the next month (especially since I've hardly done any preparation because I was preoccupied with this story oops) and I have two other projects that I can't put off editing any longer. If you guys want me to continue please let me know! It will definitely help keep me motivated :)**

**UPDATE: 8/18/2014 - I WILL be continuing the story. As I said in the first chapter update, I will leave a note in the story description when new chapters begin to be added. Thank you all again so much for your reviews and favorites!**

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"Is she asleep?"

I jumped slightly, not having seen Oliver standing outside Annie's door when I entered the hallway. In response to his inquiry, I nodded, "Yes, it took some time though." Following with a question of my own, I continued, "How did things go with the police?" Weakly, he shrugged, "Fine, fine. Thankfully all they needed was a formal statement. I'll deal with the press tomorrow." The thought of more commotion brought on a whole new heap of exhaustion, but as long as Annie was home and safe, I'd be able to tough it out. "What a night, huh?" I breathed as we started walking down the hall. Drowsily, he ran a hand down his face, "You could say that." I couldn't help but chuckle.

In silence, he ended up walking me to my room (which I hadn't been fully aware of until we were standing outside my door). I wasn't quite sure what to say given the hour and the fact I was still in the midst of processing the day's events. Seeming to be at a loss for words himself, he quietly bid before he turned to leave, "Goodnight, Miss Farrell." Without thinking, I reacted with a frown, "What happened to Grace?" Taken aback by my question, he stammered, "Sorry. I uh… I guess I- well I guess it'll take some getting used to..." This was the moment when I realized that neither of us knew exactly where **we** stood. A bigger part of me wanted to wait until tomorrow, but that would mean having to figure when, where, and how to start the conversation whereas now it had basically begun. Mustering up every bit of courage I had, I walked towards him and began. "Oliver… these past couple of days have been quite… eventful. Not just with Annie, but I kind of thought that…" I started to lose my nerve, so I covered up my pause with a yawn: bad idea. "Grace, we can talk about this tomorrow. It's very late and I think the both of us could use some rest." I started to let him leave, but I knew that I would never sleep if this question remained unanswered. "No, please Oliver, I need too… what I mean is… Well, I kind of thought that there was something…" I tried thinking of which words would sound best, but my mind was completely blank. Deciding to simply keep it, well… simple, I finished, "That something was starting between us. You know, that other morning in the garden? Maybe I just filled my head with silly ideas…" Blushing, I turned my head away. Taking a step closer, he then took my hand. "They're not silly ideas, Grace. I think they're wonderful." I looked up to see him grinning widely. I grinned myself as I replied, "Really?" With a nod, he repeated, "Really. You know, now that Annie will be staying here permanently, and now that I'm going to be her father, she's going to need a mother. I can't think of a better person for the job than you." In disbelief of what I'd just heard, my eyes promptly filled with tears. I had so much I wanted to say, but nothing was coming out. I was just so happy that I hadn't only imagined everything. I was excited for what the future had in store… but I was also a bit confused. Was he proposing? Or was he merely suggesting we explore the idea? Luckily, he hadn't given me much time to bombard him with any of the thoughts going through my mind. "Good heavens," he corrected. "I think I might be getting ahead of myself… I mean, it's not that I don't- what I meant by that was…" Finally able to collect my scattered thoughts, I placed my hand on his cheek and then gently kissed his lips for several moments before concluding, "We should take it slow... for now." Seeming relived by my words, he smiled as I added, "Or at least until Annie's settled and the adoption is final." Once more, he took my hand, this time kissing it. "I can't thank you enough for bringing her here… and for everything after. Convincing me to let her stay, convincing me to adopt her… everything." I continued to grin, "Oh, you don't need to thank me. I'm just glad… well; I'm very pleased with how everything turned out for everyone. Though, I feel so sad for Annie; you know, about finding out that her real parents have passed away." Suddenly remembering, Oliver agreed, "Oh yes… do you think she'll be alright?"

"She's a strong little girl, she'll make peace with it, I'm sure." I then yawned again—for real now—and Oliver repeated what he had suggested several minutes before, "I think it's time both of us get some rest." This time, I nodded in agreement, "Yes, I think that would be good." Our eyes locked a moment before he concluded, "We can talk more tomorrow." Tiredness must have been fogging my brain because I naively questioned, "Talk about what?"

"About the two of us." he answered. Suddenly feeling quite foolish because I'd failed to see that things were still somewhat of a vague matter, I blushed and nodded once more. "Oh yes, of course." Our eyes locked for another moment until we both turned to go our separate ways. Just as I was almost in my room with the door shutting behind me, I heard him call, "Grace?" Opening the door, I poked my head back into the hall. "Yes?" I queried. Without a word he walked back to me, pulled me into a tight embrace, and then kissed me as if he'd wanted to do nothing else since we'd been standing there. I happily kissed him back seeing as that was all **I **had wanted to do since we'd been standing there… well, longer than that, but you get the point. This moment marked a wonderful beginning for us and I wasn't about to be distracted by thinking of how long I'd awaited the start.

The end.


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